Brown Bear, Brown Bear......what can you DO?

I am very excited about my post this week.  I hope you find something special tucked inside this post to use in your daily teaching.  I have been researching ways literacy and technology work together in the early childhood classroom.  I also wanted to leave you with my NEW FAVORITE find to help with organizing classroom volunteers and encourage parents to be part of the classroom…..More about that later in the blog.

I believe technology has the power to potentially affect 3 main areas of our teaching profession.  In simple terms:  How we teach, what we teach, and how we share with others. I realize while trying to put each section in categories they overlap, which I feel is an added benefit to integrating technology into our classrooms.

What we Teach:

The internet helps support the various student abilities in the classroom. The different types of reading materials are more accessible to all students. Adaptations can easily be created to make accommodations for the individual learner. Text size can be increased for students with visual impairments. Vocabulary can be simplified for emerging readers. Key words, sounds, and concepts can be highlighted using different colors or fonts.  Additionally, text can be translated into almost any language with the click of a button.  Electronic books provide a multi-sensory approach with related pictures, sound, and video and it appeals to all learners. 

How we Teach:

I have been enjoying learning about virtual field trips.  With cost cuts and budget constraints, this is our 21^st century way of using technology in a new way. Virtual field trips allow children to travel beyond the classroom without actually leaving it.   
Click Here & Explore a Virtual Field Trip  
I also want to provide you with a great article about the benefits of virtual field trips and more top sites to visit.  To explore further, please click this link from Edutopia.com  Article About Virtual Field Trips

How we Share with others:

Collaborating with other educators is important, but I wanted to share my NEW favorite find for encouraging parent participation in the classroom.  Here it is…..Sign up Genius    ( I am secretly hoping this is new to all of you too.) On this free site, you can customize your theme or need, enter days and times, list slots for sign up and best of group members (your class email list) are automatically emailed your volunteer needs. The website emails reminders before the event date, members can even work together to “swap” times, if they change their minds about an event date.  What a wonderful tool for any teacher or room parent!  Even organizing a kindergarten snack list is possible through this website.  

Author of the Week: I have read this book too many times to count.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin.  I can’t believe he wrote it in 15 minutes!!  Rhyme and repetition at its best for teaching literacy skills.